Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri has started from Friday. On June 27, on the auspicious date of Ashada’s Dwitiya, the idols of the Lord Virajit in the Shrimandir were brought to the lion with elder brother and sister and then from here on his chariots. The process of removing the idols from the Shrimandir and taking it to the chariot is called Pahendi, in which God is brought out with love and devotion to the shoulders.
Millions of devotees from all over the country and abroad gathered in Puri to join the Rath Yatra procession and witnessed the journey. In the process of Rath Yatra, the idols of God are seized on the chariot and pulled their chariots by hand and taken to Shri Gundicha temple. This temple is about 2.6 km from Puri Jagannath Temple. Gundicha temple is considered to be the house of Mahaprabhu Jagannath, his brother Bhagwan Balabhadra and sister Devi Subhadra’s aunt.
How did God become aunt of God?
Goddess Gundicha is called aunt of Mahaprabhu Tridevas, but how did she become aunt of Tridevas and what is the relationship with Jagannath ji including Lord Balabhadra, Goddess Subhadra? This is a big question.
In fact, when Utkal (today’s Odisha) King Indradyumna and his wife Rani Gundicha built a temple for Lord Neelmadhav, now the question came that how should the temple and Devpratima’s life be the prestige? The temple could be worshiped only after the custom of Pran Pratishtha. The question arose that who would be eligible for this work started to be considered.
Devarshi Narada gave hard suggestions
Here, when Devarshi Narada reached Utkal, the king requested him to become a priest of life, but Devarshi Narada said- Brahmaji should take the life of this divine Deity. So you go with me and invite them, they will definitely come. The king happily got ready for this and started asking Brahma ji to walk with Devarshi to invite Ji. Then Narada Muni said that Rajan, have you consider it properly that you want to walk? The king said- what is the matter of thought in this? Now it is the last stop of the establishment of Shrimandir, Pran Pratishtha has to be done, then I will take retirement.
King Indradyumna went to Brahmalok to make Brahmadev priest
Then Devarshi Narada said that, you should consider first and meet your family for the last time before walking Brahmalok. Last time … Rani Gundicha became uncomfortable after hearing these words. The king also could not understand anything. The royal family got upset. Then Devarshi Narada said, you are human. A lot of time has changed on earth to go to Brahmalok and return from there. It will take many centuries. When you return, neither your royal family nor this state. Even relatives will not be alive. Puri will be ruled by another king in the Nilanchal region. If you return with Brahma Dev, you can hardly recognize this region.
Now there was a new problem for the king. He was not afraid of death but he was worried that the Shrimandir was not established and till the time it returned to Brahmadev, it should not be known. Sensing this concern, Devarshi Narada said that, before running Brahmalok, you should build 100 wells, reservoirs and inn for travelers. Along with this, after performing 100 yagyas, tie this area of ​​Puri with holy mantras. Due to this, there will be fame in the state and the Puri area will be safe.
The king got all these works done and then agreed to walk. Then Rani Gundicha said that, until you come back, I will stay in samadhi through Pranayama and meditate. Vidyapati and Lalita said that we will continue to serve the queen. The king also asked Vidyapati to handle the kingdom, but he refused to sit on the throne and said that I will continue to protect the kingdom only while serving the queen mother.
Shri temple has been pressing in sand for centuries
After making all these arrangements, King Devarshi reached Brahmalok with Narada and urged Brahmaji for the life of Shrimandir. Brahmadev accepted the king and reached Srikshetra in Utkal with him. When they all returned to earth, many centuries had passed by then. Now Puri was ruled by someone else. All the family members of the king had died, but there was no one left in the generations of all their relatives. During this time, Srimandir was also buried under the sand with the layers of time and remained in the sand for centuries.
When the king went to Brahmaloka and returned, a lot of time had passed on the earth. The kingdom region of King Indradyumna had changed a lot and the storms were completed by the storm. When King Indradyumna returned, another king in Puri was the kingdom of Galu Madhav. As soon as King Indradyumna returned, the Shrimandir, built on the bank of the ocean (due to a storm), came up. Raja Galu Madhav excavated and started preparing to establish it.
King returned after several centuries
During this time, Indradyumna, the king of the past, brought Brahma Dev. Now a situation of dispute between the new king Galumadhav and ancient king Indradyumna became a situation. Then Hanuman ji came to disguise the saint and he informed the new king Galu Madhav. King Galu Madhav was also a Krishna devotee. Saint Vestic, Hanuman ji told him that, if these kings are speaking the truth, then ask them to find the door of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. At the behest of Galumadhav, King Indradyumna, who had built this temple, easily found the path of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple in the sand, which the soldiers and artisans of Galumadhav had not yet been able to do it. As soon as the sanctum sanctorum of the temple surfaced, the blue light of Neel Madhav spread around and the temple came out with its perfection.
Here, Rani Gundicha also realized her husband’s return, then she got up from the tomb. When he opened his eyes, a young couple was standing in front of him. The queen asked her introduction and said that are you Vidyapati and Lalita’s son and daughter-in-law? Then the couple standing in front said that no, they were very old ancestors, we have been worshiping you for many generations, this is a very old tradition of our family. You are a goddess for us and we believe that there was no disaster in the Puri region because of you.
Rani Gundicha’s broken samadhi
Then Rani Gundicha said, no children, I am not a goddess, but I am definitely your ancestor. You take me to Shrimandir on the ocean coast. Then the young man informed Rani Gundicha about the meeting of the temple buried with sand and took them there. Once again, King Indradyumna and Rani met. Hearing the queen, King Galu Madhav also got confidence in all things. Apart from this, he also found the remains of 100 well reservoirs and inn made by the king, due to which he came to know about the king’s fame. Galu Madhav handed himself to the king’s shelter and prayed to him to get Krishna devotion.
Now after all the things came to light, the life of the temple was presented. Brahmadev performed a yajna and made the life of Lord Jagannath to Lord Gundicha and King Indradyumna. As soon as the prestige came, Lord Jagannath, sister Subhadra and brother Balabhadra appeared. He blessed the king and asked him to ask for a bride. The king asked that the soldiers and listeners who labor for the construction of the temple and removing it from the sand again, maintain their grace on all of them.
Raja asked for many boon
Lord Jagannath said and ask. Then the king said, whenever the story of Jagannathji is heard and heard, the names of your supreme devotee Vishwasu, my brother Vidyapati and his wife Lalita must be taken. God said- and ask, then the king said- Rani Gundicha also abandoned her maternity happiness while supporting me for this work, will also give her a special place in her feet. Then God said and ask- the king said- bless all the devotees who visit your temple to walk on the path of religion. God said- and ask Rajan. Then Rajan said what else should I ask? Then Balabhadra said, what you have asked for, you have asked for others, do you want anything for yourself. Then King Indradyumna said, I did not have any longing after the darshan of the three of you.
Then God smiled and said. Rajan, I will be pleased with all the servants and comraments according to your wish. Their generations will serve in different works of the temple. Vishwasu, Lalita and Vidyapati’s descendants will be the main priests. Many legislations related to the temple will be done by them. Even today, apart from the chariot in the Jagannath temple, new statues are also being constructed by the descendants of the servants who have been running since then.
God called Rani Gundicha aunt
After this, Lord Rani turned to Gundicha and said, you have waited for me like a mother, you are like my mother, Gundicha Devi like mother, so from today you have become my aunt Gundicha Devi. I will definitely come to meet you once a year. The place where you did penance, that place will now be the temple of my aunt Gundicha. It will get recognition as Devi Peeth. All three of us siblings will come to you and the world will know it as a chariot journey.
Along with this, every king of Puri will get the privilege of sowing the Rath Yatra route with gold. The practice of sowing the route of Rath Yatra is called ‘Chhera Pahar’. In this way, God gave a boon to all the devotees who visited Rajan, Rani Gundicha, Vidyapati and Lalita, Vishwasu and the then king Galu Madhav of Puri. After this, Jagannath Puri became the house of God and Narayana’s Vaikuntha on earth.
This is how Gundicha Dham Tirtha
In the Shrimandir of Puri, only Vidyapati and Lalita and Vishwavasu’s descendants have been worshiping. They are also called Daitapati. Apart from this, only the descendants of workers and women are involved in other service works. On the day of Jyeshtha Purnima, God was revealed, it is seen as his birth and then after 15 days rest, they are brought out of the sanctum sanctorum and all are seen and the rath yatra is taken out. This tradition continues even today. Therefore, God goes to his aunt Gundicha Devi every year by chariot. Rani Gundicha, wife of King Indradyumna, is the aunt of God. The recognition of his abode is equal to Shaktipeeth, which is also known as Gundicha Peeth, Gundicha Devi and Gundicha Tirtha.